Eshleman, Coggin notch top-10 outings to conclude Thomas Sharkey

STATESBORO, Ga. – Utilizing a pair of two-under rounds in the tournament finale, Auburn men's golfers Ryan Eshleman and Austin Coggin concluded play at the Thomas Sharkey Individual Intercollegiate Monday, finishing tied for sixth and 10th, respectively.
 
"I got off to a great start, hitting the ball well and making some putts," Eshleman said, "then, I missed a good bit in the middle of the round with some costly three-putts but finished strong to get it back to even and earn that top-10 placement."
 
An eagle on 9 highlighted an already impressive scorecard for the junior that saw birdies on holes 1, 5, 8, 10 and 14. For the season, Eshleman has made birdie a total of 56 times, averaging 3.73 per round.
 
Coggin followed on the heels of Eshleman, finishing a single shot higher at 217 (+1). On the round, Coggin erased a pair of bogeys with birdies on 3 and 14. The senior also made eagle on 8.
 
"I learned that I need to keep on working hard, but I'm definitely getting closer to where I want to be at the end of the year," Coggin said. "I think that being mentally tough and positive was a key factor for me this week."
 
Both Coggin and Eshleman led the 62-man field in par-4 scoring, tallying a two-under total on said holes.
 
Junior Max Johnson and senior Hal Dove both carded performances just outside the top-30 as Johnson notched a 75 to bring his overall score to 226 (+10) while Dove signed for a 76 to accumulate a 229 (+13).
 
All four Auburn men were led by the Tigers' volunteer assistant coach, Buddy Alexander, as head coach Nick Clinard made the trip to Hawai'i to gear up for the start of team play Wednesday at the Amer Ari Invitational.
 "It was a good trip," Alexander said. "We made some mistakes but did some really good things including two eagles and a lot of birdies today. These guys are going to get better and I am sure their best golf is in front of them. Personally, it was fun for me to do a little coaching again. For sure, it is really neat to work with such awesome guys."
"Playing for coach Buddy this week has been an honor that I will never forget," Eshleman said. "All four of us are thankful for him bringing us back to his alma mater to compete. We are blessed to have him with our program."